Source: http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21572171-zhuang-zedong-table-tennis-champion-died-february-10th-aged-72-zhuang-zedong
This article on the economist is an obituary on Zhuang Zedong, a PRC Ping Pong/Table Tennis player. It highlights the ping pong diplomacy through an anecdote that begins when Zhuang Zedong met Glenn Cowan. In 1971, Mao invited Team USA to China and a year later, Nixon normalized relations with the PRC. Although it seems unrelated, Mao and Nixon credited the ping pong diplomacy for improved relations. Can sports or any other recreational activities influence global politics and economy? I certainly think that sports can definitely play a role for better or worse as the Olympics for example, does bare some political implications. However, I think the example of ping pong diplomacy is an extreme example of how sports can have a really strong effect on diplomacy and at the end of the day, sports will still be a fun and recreational activity rather than a diplomatic tool.
2 comments:
Anuk, I agree with you. Sports have played crucial roles in diplomacy between countries. A prime example are the Olympics which were historically based on ekecheria or a period of truce. To this day, the Closing ceremony serves as a way for the athletes to march as one nation to show global unity. I think sports do serve as a diplomatic tool, despite countless culture differences between countries, sports serve as a common ground in which they can both enjoy and bond over. You have many ambassadors between countries that are high profile sport figures. For example, Yao Ming has great relations here in the U.S. and Lebron James had a huge appeal over in China. I do believe these relationships help and may serve as diplomatic tools in our foreign relations
I definitely believe that sports can bring countries together, but, just to play Devil's advocate here, they can also tear international, or even local, relations apart. Perhaps this is an extreme example, but I went to a local soccer match when I was in Brazil a few years ago, and the refs had to be escorted on and off the field by a fully armed police force (we're talking helmets, shields, dogs, etc). I later heard that after the game, there were some fans that got into a serious brawl resulting in some minor injuries. So rivalries can certainly be a factor in cross-country relationships, but I feel like they aren't as publicized as positive sports-related alliances.
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